The ‘Scrubs’ Writers Found A Possum In Their Couch

Scrubs writer Gabrielle Allan Greenberg joins Zach Braff and Donald Faison on this episode of Fake Doctors, Real Friends to talk about what a comedy writers’ room is like: “Isn’t it the greatest job in the world?” Zach says. She agrees 100%; she had always liked writing stories and scripts, and wrote all her own material when she was in a sketch comedy show, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to do it professionally. A friend of hers invited her to sit in on his writers’ room to see if she would enjoy it. She walked in and “it was a bunch of guys in sweatpants eating Chinese food and farting and I was just like, ‘I’m home,’” she laughs.

They discuss the Janitor’s connection to the Harrison Ford film The Fugitive and how creator Bill Lawrence forced Gabby to go on maternity leave because she was eight months pregnant and would sleep all day “on that disgusting couch, do you remember that disgusting couch that we found a possum in?” One of Gabby’s first writing jobs was on a Tootsie ripoff about a cross-dressing advice columnist; Zach remembers his own experience dressing as a woman for a different Tootsie ripoff, saying, “People said I looked like Heather Matarazzo.” Gabby left Scrubs to have her first son, and didn’t go back to TV for a few years, but recently worked on Veep and currently on Housebroken with Lisa Kudrow and Clea Duvall. Donald reveals that he auditioned for five different characters for that show but didn’t get a part; Zach is incensed that he already voices Chicken Little and hasn’t been asked to do a cameo. “This is the problem with being a writer and knowing actors,” Zach jokes – they always wonder why you didn’t get them a job. “Lisa Kudrow is great, but she’s no Donald Faison!” Donald laughs. 

Then Scrubs fans Lauren and Sam McCormick come on, married doctors from Northern Ireland, to find out what kind of theme parks Zach and Donald would build: Donald leans in a Total Recall direction, imagining an immersive cybernetic world with lots of roller coasters and simulators, while Zach would recreate The Goonies and have the guests do the full quest, “complete with Chester Cobblepot.” They also talk about how to know it’s the right time to have kids. And no episode would be complete without plenty of Star Wars conversation, with Donald, Gabby, and their producer Joelle talking about their least favorite character in the Star Wars universe, how Jar-Jar Binks deserves a revisit, and what’s so great about the new season of The Mandalorian (besides Timothy Olyphant). Here the entire hilarious conversation on this episode of Fake Doctors, Real Friends.

If you want to be sure you're listening to the podcasts everyone else is checking out, iHeartRadio has you covered. Every Monday, iHeartRadio releases a chart showing the most popular podcasts of the week. Stay up to date on what's trending by checking out the chart here. There's even a chart just for radio podcasts here, featuring all your favorite iHeartRadio personalities like Bobby Bones, Elvis Duran, Steve Harvey and dozens of others.

Photo: Getty Images


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content